The present invention relates generally to the field of systems for monitoring and protection of mechanical systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a technique for rapidly analyzing and responding to changing dynamic operating conditions of machine systems via a multi-processor monitoring module.
In the field of industrial equipment monitoring and protection, a wide range of components and systems are known and presently in use. Depending upon the nature of the underlying mechanical system, the monitoring and protection components may generate various signals representative of dynamic conditions. The signal-generating components are typically sensors and transducers positioned on or otherwise closely associated with points of interest of the machine systems. The signals are applied to monitoring circuits, typically somewhat remote from the points of interest, and are used to analyze the performance of the machine system. Machine systems thus instrumented may include rotary machines, assembly lines, production equipment, material handling equipment, power generation equipment, as well as many other types of machines of varying complexity.
The rapidity of response to changing operating conditions is often an important factor in the utility of monitoring and protection systems. Where unwanted conditions appear, for example, alarms or alerts may be warranted, or it may even be desirable to shut down or start up portions of the machine system to prevent damage or to provide for servicing. The rapidity of response may be a function of the distance from ultimate controlling equipment, or of the design of the control scheme implemented, or of the complexity of processing necessary before a valid decision can be made as to the response to be taken to the detected conditions.
By way of example, one type of condition that may be monitored in rotary and other dynamic machine systems is vibration. Information indicative of vibration may be collected by accelerometers on or adjacent to points of interest of a machine, and conveyed to monitoring or control equipment. However, the information from the accelerometers is not typically useful in its raw form, and must be processed, analyzed, and considered in conjunction with other factors, such as operating speeds, to determine the appropriate response to existing or developing conditions.
Where complex analyses are to be performed on monitored signals, such as signals representative of vibrational information, existing systems are in need of improvement. Processing capabilities of conventional monitoring equipment may be incapable of handling all of the communications functions, management functions, and processing functions required and still perform extremely complex calculations based on the received signals in increasingly short time frames. While the calculations may be moved to associated components, such as remote computers, this slows the response due to the need to transmit the monitored signals and retransmit back to the monitoring equipment data regarding the needed response.
The present invention provides a technique designed to respond to such needs. The technique is applicable in a wide range of settings, but is particularly well suited to monitoring modules which are designed to be positioned in proximity to points of interest in a dynamic machine system, such as rotary equipment. Moreover, while the technique is susceptible to adaptation for a variety of monitoring modules, it is particularly useful for monitoring applications in which very complex calculations must be made extremely rapidly, such as on monitored signals to derive vibrational data.
In accordance with aspects of the technique, a monitoring module includes a pair of processors. A first processor manages certain functions of the module, such as communications traffic flow, memory utilization, and so forth. The second processor is essentially dedicated to performing calculations based upon the received signals. Either of the processors, the first processor in a present implementation, may then execute code designed to report on or act upon the data resulting from the calculations. The actions may include controlling one or more components of the machine system with which the monitoring module is associated.
In a present implementation, the technique is applied to a vibration monitor. The second processor receives signals from one or more sensors or transducers, such as an accelerometer. The signals are analyzed to derive vibrational data, such as a vibration profile over a range of operating speeds or frequencies of interest. The first processor may then control integrated relay circuitry or separate relay circuitry in response to the vibrational data, such as to energize or de-energize a portion of the machine system, sound an alarm, display an alert, and so forth.